Firefighters say strike action is ‘inevitable’ amid deadlock on pay

Industrial action in February would mark the third time firefighters have gone on strike

Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have rejected deals since the summer, worth 2 per cent and 5 per cent.

A strike ballot is to close next month and the union said action could take place as early as mid-February.

It would be the third firefighters’ strike. The first lasted nine weeks from November 1977 to January 1978, and there was also industrial action in 2002 to 2003, when the Army was drafted in to provide cover.

Scottish FBU secretary John McKenzie said his members should be offered a deal in line with inflation, which is currently 10.7 per cent.

He said the most recent proposal was “overwhelmingly rejected” by 80 per cent of members in the autumn.

Mr McKenzie told the BBC: “If employers can't find the position to improve that offer then, inevitably, I think we are looking at a positive vote for strike action and then, ultimately, that is what we will be left with at the end of next month.”

The Scottish government has said pay for firefighters is negotiated through UK-wide bargaining arrangements.

Meanwhile, train passengers have been warned to expect significant disruption next week as rail workers take further strike action in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

The RMT union has announced its members at Network Rail will take strike action on January 3, 4, 6 and 7.

The dispute does not involve ScotRail staff but will have a major impact on the train operator's ability to provide services as many of the Network Rail workers walking out occupy safety-critical roles.

On strike days, and on the non-strike day of Thursday January 5, ScotRail will run services on 12 routes across the central belt, Fife, and the Borders between 7.30am and 6.30pm. RMT members took strike action over Christmas which affected ScotRail services, with no trains from early evening on Christmas Eve until Tuesday.

With the wave of industrial action showing no sign of abating, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK government will not be "held to ransom" by striking public sector workers.

He insisted there is "no magic wand" to produce the money for above-inflation pay awards.

His warning came after new TUC general secretary Paul Nowak accused ministers of "sabotaging" efforts to resolve disputes between unions and employers.

He signalled that the unions could be prepared to walk away from the system of independent pay review bodies for the public sector, saying they are being used by the Government as "human shields".

Speaking during a visit to Manchester Airport where military personnel are covering for striking Border Force staff, Mr Wallace rejected a call by Mr Nowak for ministers to get round the negotiating table.

He said the Government is not prepared to ignore the pay review bodies' recommendations and that it is now up to the unions to talk to their employers directly.

"We're not going back to the 1970s where the trade union barons thought that they ran the government," he said.

"They used to meet in Downing Street and tell the Labour government of the day what they're going to do. We're not going to go back to that. We're not going to be held to ransom.

"The trade unions can negotiate, they can negotiate with their employers and try and come to a resolution. That's the most important thing. There's no magic wand here to come up with money that the country doesn't have.

"Ultimately we're in a position where we're trying to listen to the independent advice, through the independent pay bodies, offer a settlement to the workforces, and then try and bring that to a resolution, but if the trade union leadership think we're all just going to ignore these independent bodies to suit their agenda then they'll be mistaken."